14

The First Princess had gone to her mother.

“But the general seems to be over in your wing,” said Her Majesty.

“I think Kosaisho~ will keep him entertained,” said one Dainagon, a lady-in-waiting to the princess.

“A woman has to know what she is doing,” replied the empress, “when a solemn and resolute young man takes up the pursuit. He will see through all her pertness if she isn't careful. But I think that Kosaisho~ can take care of herself.”

Though they were brother and sister, she did not feel at ease with Kaoru, and evidently she was warning her women against any appearance of impropriety.

“It's always Kosaisho~'s room that he goes to. They talk on and on, all by themselves, and sometimes he is there till very late. But it doesn't seem to be what one might expect. She has a low opinion of Prince Niou, and won't even answer his letters.” Dainagon laughed. “Believe me, I wouldn't be wasting such an opportunity.”

The empress too was amused. “Yes, she can be relied upon to take care of herself if she sees what is wrong with my good son. Is there no way to reform him? You must know, I am sure, how uncomfortable it makes me to have him come into the conversation.”

“I heard something interesting the other day. The lady who died at Uji seems to have been the younger sister of his princess at Nijo~. A half sister, actually. Some say that the wife of a governor of Hitachi is her mother, some say that she's an aunt. I don't know which to believe. Prince Niou visited the girl secretly, very secretly, they say. The general seems to have had thoughts of his own, and he learned of the prince's visits. He had plans for bringing her to the city. So he posted guards and gave them very strict orders. The prince went off on another of his secret visits, and they kept him outside on his horse (I can't imagine that it was very dignified) and then trundled him back to the city. And very suddenly she disappeared. It may be that she died of longing. Her nurse and the others think she may have thrown herself into the river. I am told that they are quite out of their minds, the poor dears.”

The empress was scandalized. “Wherever did you hear such a thing? It is sad and it is horrible. But perhaps it isn't true. Word of anything so unusual is bound to get out, and I would have expected my brother to say something. But he just goes on mooning about how things change, and says what a pity it is that people seem to live such short lives at Uj?”

“You can't really believe servants. But a little girl who was in service at Uji has been with Kosaisho~'s family, and she spoke of it as solid fact. The Uji lady picked such a strange way to disappear that I gather they don't want people to know. It all sounded like a curse, really, and I can believe that they would want it kept secret. It may be that they did not even tell the general.”

“That girl is not to say another word about it.” The empress was openly perturbed. “A foolish boy who ruined himself over women—that's what the talk will be, you can be sure.”